Communication

Children are most likely to succeed in school on all levels — academic, social and emotional — when they are part of a team of parents and teachers who communicate regularly about their growth.

Almaden Country Day School encourages and fosters effective communication between teachers, parents and child. It is vital that parents and teachers have a shared vision for the child’s goals and plans for achieving them.

Teachers

Your teachers work daily with your child. We encourage you to contact your teachers first with questions and concerns that pertain to your child. This includes curriculum questions, special learning needs, and behavioral and social concerns.

Your Teacher's Email Address

All members of Almaden Country Day School faculty and staff may be reached via e-mail as follows:

[first initial][last name]@almadencountryday.org
i.e. Mary Jones: mjones@almadencountryday.org

Contacting Your Child's Teacher

You may contact your teacher via e-mail, or through the Administrative Assistant who will connect you directly with the teacher, if available. If the teacher is unavailable by phone, the Administrative Assistant will connect you with the teacher’s voice mail or can place a note for you in the teacher’s mailbox. We ask that you not contact your child’s teacher in his or her classroom without first checking in the office and verifying that the teacher is available.

Weekly Folders and Newsletters

Students in Preschool through fifth grade take home a Weekly Folder, which includes information that their teachers feel parents should see. This can include student work, notices from the classroom, office or PSA. Teachers also prepare regular newsletters at each grade level. Most newsletters are sent to parents via email.

Middle School teachers place notices to take home into student mailboxes. Tests are sent home throughout the week for a parent signature. Newsletters are sent home electronically.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Formal parent/teacher conferences for all students are scheduled in the fall. Conferences arranged by teacher or parent request are also held in the spring. The goals of the conferences are to discuss your student’s progress, the teachers’ observations, and any parent feedback. Conferences are an opportunity to strengthen communication and understanding between parents and teachers. Teachers will also explain the strengths and interests that they observe in your child and discuss strategies for reinforcing your child’s success at home. Additionally, the teachers will share learning goals for your student and explain how they intend to help your child move forward along the learning continuum.

Please attend your scheduled conferences. We do not ask teachers to make-up missed conferences due to family vacations. However, parents and teachers may request additional conferences at other times if they feel a personal meeting would be helpful. Note on Extended Care for Conference Days. There is no school or extended care on Parent/Teacher Conference days. Drop-in care for the duration of the conference is available for currently-enrolled ACDS students only.

Formal Reporting Periods

Student Success Team (SST)

Teachers, parents, administrators or counselors may request a Student Success Team meeting in order to review a student’s progress at school. The SST process is initiated after teacher/parents and teacher/administrator conferences. A notification of need for the meeting is sent to all participants and a mutually convenient date is set. Parent participation in an SST may be a requirement for continued enrollment at the discretion of the Assistant Heads. The purpose of the SST meeting is for teachers, parents, and students to collaborate as a team to:

Review the student’s background and strengths
Discuss any concerns from the student and other team members
Review any previously attempted accommodations and modifications
Discuss possible strategies for remediation
Develop a written action plan
Identify responsible persons and resources
Set a follow up date to evaluate the results of the actions taken

The purpose of both the Parent/Teacher Conference and the Student Success Team is to empower children with strategies for improvement, along with support and intervention from team members. Further intervention may be implemented by referral to outside consultants, i.e. an educational psychologist for a special needs assessment, an educa¬tional therapist for a specific intervention, etc.

Grading

ACDS employs formal grading reports as a general indication of the growth your child is making. The focus is on the progress a child is experiencing, not only along grade level standards, but also in terms of his or her own strengths and weaknesses. These report cards are intended to supplement active interim communication between parent and teacher about your child’s progress. For grades 1 through 4, children are given an assessment statement. In 5th grade, letter grades are included on the report card in preparation for the transition to middle school. In middle school, letter grades are used with a narrative comment.